The God I Loved
Date
2020-06-18
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MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa
Abstract
Raised in poverty in America’s Bible Belt, Nichols explores the events that lead him to him to convert to fundamentalist Christianity in his early twenties. Nichols then further explores the events that led him to denounce his faith almost two decades later. He details his experiences as a both a missionary and a pastor. He then discusses how his time spent as a soldier in Iraq allowed him to consider the inconsistencies he had witnessed within the church, causing him to doubt, and eventually abandon his religion. Nichols then discusses the impacts that fundamental evangelicalism has had and is having on American society, from the rise of the Alt-Right and Christian Nationalism to the election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
Furthermore, Nichols discusses the ways in which Christianity has sought to rewrite the history of America in a bid to control the country’s future. The work itself is a hybrid of memoir, researched reporting, and social commentary interspersed with poetry. Through rich character development, credible reporting, and keen insight, this work brings a touch of humor and some much-needed critical thinking to the complexities of America’s current political and cultural landscape.
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Keywords
Memoir, Christianity